SOE accepting applications for G.I.R.L. scholarship
by Krystalle Voecks 
Mar 28th 2009 at 8:00PM
Filed under: Events, real-world, News items, Academic
If you're one of the ladies currently in grad school pursuing your dreams of getting into the gaming industry, then this is definitely something you want to know about. Applications are now open for Sony Online Entertainment's 2009 G.I.R.L. scholarships. The one lucky (and talented) entrant will score the ultimate prize; $10,000 for their tuition and expenses for attending college, and may additionally be offered an up-to-10 week paid internship at SOE to work on Free Realms. "There are a significant number of women who are gamers, but not enough working in the video game field," said Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for SOE. "With the application process starting today, we're taking a concrete step toward opening the door a little wider for women who want to go into game development."
So if games designing is something that really drives your interests and you think you've got what it takes, head over to the official G.I.R.L. scholarship site and check out all the details. Good luck to all who decide to enter! Hopefully we'll get a chance to work with you on one of your future game projects.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
failcom said on 12:01AM 3-29-2009
yea seriously
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droid said on 12:42AM 3-29-2009
The 3 girls that are wanting to persue this type of life, I say good luck to you. Billions of males can only have dream of such a thing.
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Deadend said on 2:01AM 3-29-2009
Girls are a race now?
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failcom said on 3:01AM 3-29-2009
yes, they are a race! wtf you smoking?
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Russell Clarke said on 5:26AM 3-29-2009
Chump
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Krystalle Voecks said on 6:11AM 3-29-2009
Please note that when you comment on the site, we're able to track down your 'normal' posting accounts instantly.
Spamming is a good way to receive a permanent ban across any/all accounts.
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Shogun said on 6:45AM 3-29-2009
Positive discrimination strikes again. Why not just have an open scholarship application where anyone can apply, and information about age, race, sex, religion, etc are not requested on the application. Wouldn't that be better than positive discrimination?
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Lea said on 10:43AM 3-29-2009
Its simply a matter of attracting a gender that isn't very prominent in the industry.
I wish this sort of thing was around back when I went into college.... 10 years ago, women in gaming wasn't even considered..... in my class of over 100, there were THREE girls.
RJGiskard said on 1:23PM 3-29-2009
"Wouldn't that be better than positive discrimination?"
Did anyone even click through and read about the program? The "scholarship was created ... to encourage students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play."
As far as I can tell, it *isn't* closed to men, which I'm pretty sure would be against disrimination laws and illegal. The 'Who is Eligible' section of the site doesn't mention sex at all. It's certainly *marketed* towards woman (given the scholarship name and ultimate goal) which makes it a type of positive action.
Sheesh.
Estrid said on 12:19PM 3-29-2009
...because it's not at all intimidating for girls to try to get into a predominantly male-run industry. I see the encouragement is a positive thing. It goes to show girls that they can pursue a career in game development and that there *are* people out there that will support them in doing so. Gaming has been a mens club of sorts. Hell, back in the day while I was playing Tribes 2 I learned very quickly that while voice chat was a convenient strategy tool, it meant I became the primary target of a handful of players on any particular server. Guys would literally switch teams to kill me. Others would just chide me, curse at me, tell me to go play with makeup, get off their server, etc. This trend has continued even up to my current MMOs. Discrimination? Might want to look someplace else to point the finger. I personally can't blame S.O.E for wanting to breach a demographic that has previously been largely out of their grasp.
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Evi said on 2:21PM 3-29-2009
I wish this kind of scholarship were available when I was in school. I think it's great. Game design is a very male-dominated industry. About two years ago I had an interview with the lead designer of an upcoming MMORPG who was desperately seeking female input for his design team. They were specifically looking for female game designers because they are still so hard to find!
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